Google Play-hosted games have moved into the second place spot behind iOS games I n terms of revenue generated. This puts the digital store ahead of dedicated portable game consoles from both Nintendo and Sony. The revenue jump happened over the past quarter according to app industry analyst App Annie. The firm’s latest Portable Gaming Report found that revenue from dedicated portable gaming devices ended up dropping year-over-year, while revenue for Google’s Play Store and iOS App Store games continued to rise.

Consumer spending on games for iOS and Android is now four times the revenue seen by dedicated gaming handhelds. The latest figures mark the continuation of a trend that began with the debut of Apple’s iOS App Store. As smartphones and tablets continue to grow in popularity, it is increasingly difficult for many consumers to justify the cost of a dedicated gaming handheld.

With 225,000 units sold in July, Nintendo’s 3DS was the bestselling portable gaming console for that month in the United States. It must compete though with millions of iOS and Android devices which are being sold in the same time span. The devices also tend to be easier to develop games for and the titles are sold at a lower price point. With the pace at which mobile gaming is outstripping the traditional portable gaming, it wouldn’t be see a surprise to see the gap widening. An App Annie study from May found iOS and Android gaming revenue to be only three times greater than dedicated portable consoles.

Traditional game makers have taken notice of the trends in the industry and have tried to make adjustments. Sony cut the price of its PS Vita in Japan earlier this year and just this week, the Japanese electronics giant made an announcement that the portable gaming console would be available for $199. Nintendo on the other hand has taken to courting developers in hopes of bringing some of the bestselling mobile OS games over to its touch-capable Wii U and portable 3DS.

We’ll have to wait and see if things change or if the trend continues.

If Nintendo dropped the hardware development and worked with iOS and Android they would do incredible at a higher than common price point. All 3 would see record sales even if only releasing classics ported over at first.

Surprising that Google has so many more unit sales worldwide, but trails Apple by so much in app sales. I think it partly has to do with more free apps on Play, but I don’t think that comes close to telling the whole story. I think a big portion of it is due to the fact that a significant portion of android unit sales are very basic and cheap phones for people who can’t afford the higher end devices, and therefore can’t afford to buy quality apps.

Originally Posted by REMED1AL

If Nintendo dropped the hardware development and worked with iOS and Android they would do incredible at a higher than common price point. All 3 would see record sales even if only releasing classics ported over at first.

I know right! they should, at the very least, release the oold legacy NEs and SNEs games to iOS/Android. I would buy the crap out of those just to relive my old childhood gaming days! And if they still want hardware revenues they could release a BT controller to sell. With a huge library of compatible games it would sell very well!

Surprising that Google has so many more unit sales worldwide, but trails Apple by so much in app sales. I think it partly has to do with more free apps on Play, but I don’t think that comes close to telling the whole story. I think a big portion of it is due to the fact that a significant portion of android unit sales are very basic and cheap phones for people who can’t afford the higher end devices, and therefore can’t afford to buy quality apps.

here we go again with the "cant afford nonsense" show me one, just one bit of proof that the majority of Android phones are very basic and cheap? most Android phones run Jellybean and very basic or cheap phones don't support that version of Android. people who want cheap phones buy those FREE or 99 cent iPhones.

quality apps? really, apps are FREE or cost only 99 Cents so WTH are you talking about cant afford to buy quality apps?

here we go again with the "cant afford nonsense" show me one, just one bit of proof that the majority of Android phones are very basic and cheap? most Android phones run Jellybean and very basic or cheap phones don't support that version of Android. people who want cheap phones buy those FREE or 99 cent iPhones.

quality apps? really, apps are FREE or cost only 99 Cents so WTH are you talking about cant afford to buy quality apps?